domains / families / software-engineering / claude-api

claude-api

combined

Reference for the Claude API / Anthropic SDK — model ids, pricing, params, streaming, tool use, MCP, agents, caching, token counting, model migration. TRIGGER — read BEFORE opening the target file; don't skip because it "looks like a one-liner" — whenever: the prompt names Claude/Anthropic in any form (Claude, Anthropic, Fable, Opus, Sonnet, Haiku, `anthropic`, `@anthropic-ai`, `claude-*`, `us.anthropic.*`, `[1m]`); the user asks about an LLM (pricing/model choice/limits/caching) — never answer from memory; OR the task is LLM-shaped with provider unstated (agent/MCP/tool-definition/multi-agent/RAG/LLM-judge/computer-use; generate/summarize/extract/classify/rewrite/converse over NL; debugging refusals/cutoffs/streaming/tool-calls/tokens). SKIP only when another provider is being worked on (overrides all triggers): OpenAI/GPT/Gemini/Llama/Mistral/Cohere/Ollama named in the query; OR `grep -rE 'openai|langchain_openai|google.generativeai|genai|mistralai|cohere|ollama'` over the project h… Build apps with the Claude API or Anthropic SDK. TRIGGER when: code imports `anthropic`/`@anthropic-ai/sdk`/`claude_agent_sdk`, or user asks to use Claude API, Anthropic SDKs, or Agent SDK. DO NOT TRIGGER when: code imports `openai`/other AI SDK, general programming, or ML/data-science tasks.

When to use

• User asks for "latest" or "current" information
• Cached data seems incorrect
• User asks about features not covered here
• Use when building with the Claude API, Anthropic SDKs, or the Agent SDK.
• Use when code imports `anthropic`, `@anthropic-ai/sdk`, or related Claude SDK packages.
• Do not use for general coding work unrelated to Claude integrations.

When not to use

• Use this skill only when the task clearly matches the scope described above.
• Do not treat the output as a substitute for environment-specific validation, testing, or expert review.
• Stop and ask for clarification if required inputs, permissions, safety boundaries, or success criteria are missing.

Skill page

Conflict

The anthropics/skills copy is the upstream source and contains the core procedure, but the sickn33 copy adds a detailed 'Language Detection' section and a 'Which Surface Should I Use?' decision table that are absent from the first. The copies also disagree on the default model version (Opus 5.5 vs Opus 5) and the trigger logic (broad LLM-shaped tasks vs specific SDK imports). Combining is necessary to preserve the language detection steps and surface selection logic while acknowledging the model version conflict.